Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners produce loud acoustic noise originating from vibrational Lorentz forces induced by rapidly changing currents in the magnetic field gradient coils. Using zero echo time (ZTE) MRI pulse sequences, gradient switching can be reduced to a minimum, which enables near silent operation. Besides silent MRI, ZTE offers further interesting characteristics, including a nominal echo time of TE=0 (thus capturing short-lived signals from MR tissues which are otherwise MR-invisible), 3D radial sampling (providing motion robustness), and ultra-short repetition times (providing fast and efficient scanning). In this work we describe the main concepts behind ZTE imaging with a focus on conceptual understanding of the imaging sequences, relevant acquisition parameters, commonly observed image artefacts, and image contrasts. We will further describe a range of methods for anatomical and functional neuroimaging, together with recommendations for successful implementation.

磁共振成像 (MRI) 扫描仪会产生很大的噪声，这些噪声源自磁场梯度线圈中快速变化的电流引起的振动洛伦兹力。使用零回波时间 (ZTE) MRI 脉冲序列，可以将梯度切换降至最低，从而实现近乎静音的操作。除了静音 MRI 之外，ZTE 还提供了其他有趣的特性，包括 TE=0 的标称回波时间（从而捕获短时回波时间）。来自 MR 组织的实时信号（否则 MR 不可见）、3D 径向采样（提供运动鲁棒性）和超短重复时间（提供快速高效的扫描）。在这项工作中，我们重点描述了 ZTE 成像背后的主要概念对成像序列、相关采集参数、常见图像伪影和图像对比度的概念理解。我们将进一步描述一系列解剖和功能神经成像方法，以及成功实施的建议。